


The Safecracker

by Croik, delina



Series: Bang! Bang! BOOM! [1]
Category: Bang! Bang! BOOM! (Comics)
Genre: 1920s, Gen, Pre-Slash, original - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-07
Updated: 2017-04-07
Packaged: 2018-10-16 04:06:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10563366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Croik/pseuds/Croik, https://archiveofourown.org/users/delina/pseuds/delina
Summary: Nearly a decade before their adventures took them cross country, Jakub and Cheshire met for the first time as teenagers in New York.  Not exactly love at first sight, but something like it. Writing by Croik, art by Del.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So if you don't follow me on Tumblr you might not know this yet, but my friend Del and I have begun work on a new original comic [on Tapastic](https://tapastic.com/series/BangBangBOOM)! So I thought I'd write some backstory for our two heroes :3. 
> 
> Is it weird to be writing fic for a canon you created...!?!? WHATEVER, I hope you like it :D

***

Jakub nudged the door to the study open, and his first glimpse inside had his heart racing. 

All he could see was a rounded top of polished, dark metal, but it was enough for him to recognize it immediately: a safe. And not just any safe, a top of the line Steel Gremlin. A closer look and he spotted a pair of combination locks in the door, each with its own handle mechanism. He had only ever seen one in sketches before, packaged with tall tales from convicts regaling drunks with their glory days. The owner hadn't even bothered to hide the damn thing, such was its reputation. Though Jakub was not the type easily swayed by imagination, the thought of whatever might lay inside put his mind's eye to the test. 

"Put everything back," he said. 

Barney had just emerged from the master bedroom with a sack full of jewelry, and he glared at Jakub from under the brim of his hat, appalled. "What?" 

Jakub pushed the door open wide so that Barney could see for himself. The look of surprise and intrigue that crossed his face was vindicating. "Put everything back," Jakub said again, his heavy eyebrows drawing in seriously. "The Rutgers will be away again next week. We can bring Hauser to crack safe." 

Barney sighed, hefting his sack as if already regretting the loss of his score. "They can't suspect we were already here," he agreed. Grumbling, he turned back into the bedroom. 

Jakub moved swiftly back through the house, replacing the candlesticks on the mantle, the cash in the tobacco tin, the revolver from the locked cabinet he'd already picked open in the hall. He and Barney exited the lavish Rutger home through the rusty cellar door they had entered through, and from there they hurried three blocks to the car waiting for them. They retreated, empty-handed, deeper into the city. 

"What do you think is in it?" Barney asked along the way, but Jakub didn't answer. He knew better than to invite disappointment. 

*** 

Kasper Kozlow lowered his newspaper to fix Jakub with stern look. "Didn't anyone tell you?" 

Jakub stood up straighter. He may have been young but he wasn't one of Kozlow's fresh recruits, eager to cower beneath the boss' disapproving eye. He'd earned the right to have courage. Even if he did feel a pang of apprehension, it never reached his face. "Sir?" 

"Hauser was put away last week," said Kozlow, dropping his paper to the desk. "Coppers picked him up from a street fight, realized he already had a warrant for that botched heist last fall. They'll make an example of him this time." 

Jakub's heart sank. "Is there no one else that can crack the Gremlin?" he asked. 

"You know there isn't. Not on this coast, anyway." Kozlow scratched irritably at his beard. "You should have taken the lot and moved on. Who's call was that, Barney's? Christ." 

"Mine, sir." 

"Ah. Well." Kozlow pulled a face and the grabbed his paper back up. "Now you know. Go back as soon as Rutger is out of the house and lift what you can. We can't be short at this month's pickup or those barrels will be up our assholes, understand?" 

"Of course," said Jakub, turning to leave. He didn't quite make it to the door before Kozlow called after him. 

"Hold up, Jake." Kozlow stared at his paper for a long moment, intensely thoughtful, and then nodded to himself as if having come to a decision. "There may be someone else. Don't make another move on the house until I say so." 

"Yes, sir." Keeping his curiosity to himself, Jakub showed himself out. 

A New York City sunrise. Jakub dropped onto the stoop and watched morning cut through the haze of factory smoke. Already cars were blaring in the distance, heavy machinery churning with a steady _clunk clunk clunk_ . If he strained his ears, he could hear a few gunshots and even a bird. The wind was chill and sharp, and every breath off his cigarette tasted like the river. Four years he’d woken up the same say. Some days he couldn’t remember what home smelled like. 

He had planned to spend his morning with Barney going over their take, divvying up the jewelry and other goods to be hustled at various pawn shops and private collectors. Instead he leaned against his knees, trying not to wonder what was behind all those metal locks. 

"Jakub?" 

Jakub flinched; he couldn't remember a time when someone had managed to sneak up on him. He glanced up and found a man leaning against the entrance hand rail, watching him with smile. 

It wasn't anyone Jakub recognized—and he _would_ have recognized him, had they ever met. The stranger was tall and broad-shouldered, a few years older than himself at least. His jaw was finely chiseled and his honey-colored hair swept back, a pair of fancy, wire-rimmed spectacles perched on his nose. The cut of his suitcoat and the glint of good humor in his eye didn't match anyone Jakub would have expected to meet, huddled on the back porch of a small time mobster. 

Jakub chewed on the end of his cigarette. "Who's asking?" 

The man grinned. "Cheshire Bloom." 

Jakub scrutinized him carefully, but there was nothing in the man's accent or bearing that helped him much. And he was familiar with a very wide variety of accents and bearings. "What kind of name is 'Cheshire'?" 

"It's _my_ name," he replied smartly. 

"I mean," Jakub tried again impatiently, "where are you _from_ ? Are you English?" 

"I'm Albanese." He smirked like he was telling a joke, but Jakub could only stare back blankly. Seeing his humor wasted, Cheshire heaved a sigh. "You _are_ Jakub, right? The boss says we're going to be partners." 

Jakub sat up straighter, his first thought that Boss Kozlow was punishing him for abandoning their take after all. His second thought was, " _You_ are safecracker?" 

Cheshire grinned wider, and despite his better sense, Jakub found himself excited by the prospect. "Well, I haven't tried it _yet_ ," Cheshire said, and Jakub's heart crumbled. "But I'm sure I can figure it out." 

Jakub vowed to never get his hopes up again. "Safecracking is not something you can _figure out_ . It takes knowledge and practice." 

Cheshire's eyebrow arched. "Do you have a safe I can practice on?" 

"What? No, we—" Jakub sighed, taking the cigarette out of his mouth so he could rub his face. " _No one_ has Gremlin. And if we did, only Hauser can teach you, but he is locked up." He snorted. "And even if he _was not_ , I would ask him to teach _me_ before _you_ ." 

Cheshire rested his chin against his forearms. "Does it have to be quiet?" 

"Did you not hear me? You can't just _blast_ open a Steel Gremlin, either, they're made like tanks." 

Cheshire shrugged, infuriating. "I mean, you don't know until you try." 

Frustration started to get the better of Jakub, which was in itself was an unusual and very unwelcome feeling for him. "Did Boss Kozlow _really_ send you back here?" 

"Yes, he _really_ did." Cheshire chuckled, looking far too amused for Jakub's liking. "Look, Jakub. Take me with you when you make the hit. If I can get it open, great! If not, I'm an extra pair of arms to haul the rest of the take. Get me?" 

Jakub eyed him, admitting to himself that at least the man had muscle. If he'd said from the start Kozlow wanted him to haul the entire Gremlin back with them, it would have made a more believable story. "Fine," he said. "But this is my job. You follow my lead." 

"Fair enough," said Cheshire, and he extended his hand. 

Jakub hesitated, realizing for the first time that Cheshire was wearing white leather gloves. With a deep breath he finally closed the gap to shake hands. "Saturday," he said. "We meet here after dark." 

"Sure," said Cheshire, his grip so firm that Jakub could still feel it cinching around his palm long after they separated. 

*** 

When Saturday arrived, Jakub was dismayed but not surprised when Cheshire arrived wearing a waistcoat and tie. 

"What are you wearing?" he asked, apparently with even more disapproval than he'd intended to convey, because Cheshire actually flinched. 

"Um…it's black?" Cheshire replied with a helpless shrug. "We're breaking in?" There was nothing to do but carry on. 

Hannah parked the car down three blocks, and Jakub led Cheshire through the cellar door that he and Barney had used the week before. As soon as they were inside he realized that something was off, and a quick search revealed that much of the jewelry Barney had found unprotected originally was nowhere to be found. 

_He probably took something after all, and the wife noticed_ , Jakub thought irritably as they moved to the study. _Damn it, Barney._

"All right, here it is," Jakub said as they stood before the safe. "From what I heard, if you try one handle before both have been solved, it will lock up, making it impossible to open without the company man." 

Cheshire whistled appreciatively as he crouched down. His eyes were wide and fascinated as he dragged his fingertips over the polished metal surface and poked gingerly at the dials. "Other than that it's like any other safe, though, right?" he asked. 

"I…suppose." Jakub frowned, reminding himself not to get his hopes up again, however confident his partner suddenly looked. "This isn't my area." 

"Mine, either," said Cheshire jovially. He spun the top dial once to the right and then twisted the handle. 

Something inside the safe clinked, followed by a clunk, and Jakub held his breath. Then Cheshire tugged, and he realized with a sinking feeling that nothing had disengaged. The hissing sound and three sharp _clangs_ were extra locks fitting into place. 

He stared. "You just set off failsafe." 

"Yup," said Cheshire. 

"You didn't even...." Jakub was too flabbergasted to even be angry. "What was the purpose of you being here if you weren't _trying_ ?" 

"I _am_ trying. I just wanted to hear what I'm up against." Cheshire moved alongside the safe and waved for him to step back. "You might want to give me some room, here." 

Jakub backed away and was tempted to keep going. Even without the safe the house had plenty of lootable items, and the sooner they were gone, the better. But as he turned to leave, his eye was caught by a flash of light. He looked back just in time to see the door of the safe explode off its hinges in a burst of orange flame. It slammed into the desk with a stunning crash, sending papers and wooden shards flying. Jakub could only stare. And as the smoke cleared, Cheshire let out a whoop. 

"Aha! I did it!" he cheered, waving the rest of the smoke away. "Did you _see_ that? Didn't I tell you?" 

Jakub looked back and forth between the mangled frame of the safe and its door on the other side of the room. "How did you do that?" 

"Well, magic, of—oh, fuck!" Cheshire reached into the safe, cringing as he yanked out a burning envelope. 

Jakub hurried back, using his satchel to help extinguish the flames. "It's okay," Cheshire said, still half laughing as he began digging more smoking loot from the safe. "It's fine, most of it...is barely singed. You saw it, didn't you?" 

"I saw it," said Jakub, still a little dazed. He came quickly back into focus when he realized Cheshire was pulling out the missing jewelry. "How did you do that?" he asked again as he began shoveling everything into his sack. "Did you say 'magic'?" 

Cheshire smirked as he reached back into the safe. "What, you've never seen magic before?" 

"Not like _that_ ...." Jakub had seen parlor tricks. He had met a charming Hungarian boy who could change his hair and eye color at will, an old woman that peddled potions she swore gave people luck. A young girl he was fairly sure wasn't human lived in a small apartment above the bakery with many cats. But a steel safe blown apart at the seams? He could still smell something in the air that didn't belong, sharp and almost tangy. 

"It's kind of a long story," Cheshire was saying as he pulled out a leather pouch. "Complicated, you know? Maybe when we're...." 

He stopped, and when Jakub looked up he realized it was because he'd peeked into the pouch. His hazel eyes were bright with excitement and he grinned like his namesake as he showed the contents to Jakub. 

Bearer bonds. _Lots_ of bearer bonds. 

A light flickered in the window. Jakub startled, realizing all at once just how much noise an exploding safe made, and how many homes were nearby with residents in them waking up in confusion and panic. "We have to go," he said, snatching the pouch out of Cheshire's hands to stow away. "Grab candlesticks on the mantle. I'll take the revolver from the hall." 

"Okay!" Cheshire was beaming as he took the bag from Jakub to sling over his shoulder. He even grabbed Jakub's elbow to haul him upright, with so little effort that Jakub got a chill. They rushed out of the study together, and as Jakub reached the hall cabinet, he could have sworn he heard voices out in the street. There wasn't time to pick the lock. 

"Stand back, I've got it," said Cheshire, and Jakub had only managed to take two steps out of range before the front of the cabinet blew off its hinges and sent photographs on the opposite wall crashing to the ground. 

"Stop that!" Jakub scolded even as he reached inside to grab up Rutger's prized weapon and ammunition. "You are waking the entire neighborhood." 

"I _asked_ you if we had to be quiet," Cheshire retorted. He grabbed a silver picture frame from among those that had escaped the flying cabinet and tucked it into his bag. "Let's be quick and it won't matter." 

They dashed to the cellar. Jakub had no idea what to expect once they were outside and he was tempted to load the revolver. To his surprise, Cheshire took to the lead, moving quickly and effortlessly between the buildings and out of sight of the curious neighbors leaning out their windows. They reached Hannah and the waiting car without having been spotted by anyone. 

"See?" Cheshire boasted, full of youthful vigor as they settled in the rear seats. "I told you to give me a chance." 

Jakub was speechless. He gestured for Cheshire to return their sack, which he did, and shook his head as he pawed through their take. Jewelry, cash, gold candlesticks, a rare Civil War collectible weapon, a silver frame, and a thousand dollars in untraceable bearer bonds, coupons attached. 

At least the boss wouldn't have to worry about paying their liquor supplier. For _a while_ . Jakub packed everything away and finally looked to Cheshire. Though he was still reeling from the successful outing, he did his best to sound cross. "You should have said you could make magic." 

"But then I wouldn't have seen such a great look on your face," Cheshire replied, grinning. "I think I startled a few of your freckles off." 

He swiped his thumb across Jakub's cheek. It was so unexpected that Jakub didn't even manage to recoil. His face went hot, but only because Cheshire's gloves were still warm from the magic. "That’s not...." Jakub glared at him, uncharacteristically stumbling for words. "...how freckles work." 

Cheshire laughed, and as tempting as it was to put a fist in his flapping jaw, Jakub resisted. "You're cute," Cheshire declared, which didn't help matters any. "I think we're going to be great partners." 

Jakub frowned, but then again, there was no arguing with results. "Just...give me more warning next time," he said. 

"Yeah, sure." 

"And I want to know more about your magic, what it's good for. And what experience you have." 

"Sure, sure." He chuckled to himself some more. "Can we talk over a drink? I sure could use one, and I think we've earned it." 

Hannah scoffed from behind the wheel. "You're too young to drink," she said. 

That gave Jakub pause, and he looked Cheshire over again, trying to reevaluate. "Wait. How old _are_ you?" 

"Sixteen," Cheshire replied without hesitation, and he must have anticipated Jakub's startled reaction, because he had a fresh grin all lined up. "Don't believe me, do you? I get that all the time." 

"Sixteen," Jakub repeated. "Really? Built like that?" 

"Why thank you," said Cheshire, and he winked. 

Jakub's face went hot again, but without anything to blame it on. "It would be illegal for _any_ of us to be drinking," he said just to change the subject. "But I guess you earned it. So yeah, I say we drink." 

Cheshire cheered, Hannah sighed. And Jakub counted the money again, determined not to think about soft leather counting his freckles. 


End file.
